Safe and Sound
by castlefreak1213
Summary: A short and sweet post-ep for Probable Cause. One shot!


A short and sweet post-ep for Probable Cause. Hope you all enjoy it!

"Drink," She said, passing him the warm mug of coffee. Kate sat on the edge of the armchair across from him, her eyes heavy.

"Thanks." He replied quietly. It was the first words he'd said since they'd finished the incident report. _He's still out there. And he'll kill again. He's going to come back for me, for us_. He thought, taking a sip. "I should've aimed for the head."

"Castle…" she whispered, shaking her head and looking at the floor.

"It's true."

Cold. Emotionless. He was taking this really hard.

"Maybe. But you didn't. And that says more about you than you know." He scoffed, shaking his head and clenching the mug tightly. "It says you're human, not a psychopath. It says you've got more to live for than death."

He looked up, found her eyes and it all made sense. All those times he'd thought he'd lost her. Sure, she was a cop. It was in the job description. He should've known there would be some rouge killers, a few car accidents, even the shooting was always a possibility. But all the times he'd been in danger, she was there next to him. The freezer. The bomb. The untimely drive through the Hudson. The only time he'd been alone was with Tyson. He saw it in her eyes, the bags under them, her lips trying to conceal the pain swelling in her throat.

He sighed, his eyes heavy with the same pain and anguish, and put down the mug. He raised his arm and bowed his head, and opened the rest of the sofa to her.

Kate put her mug down and put her heads over her face. Her chest heaved as she sat next to him, sobbing silently. She tried to hold it in, she really did. After all, he was the one almost killed by a serial killer. But she'd come within arm's reach of losing the only man who's made any sense. Not just any sense, she'd almost lost her everything. It wasn't about the books, or the job, it was about _them_. And their story wasn't about to end with him being hacked to pieces by Jerry Tyson, or with her being shot on that bridge. Not like that. Not yet. There was so much left.

He wrapped his arms around her as her tears began to saturate his shirt. Her throat was screaming and her eyes burned. She'd cried more in the past few days than she had in as long as she could remember. His eyes were clenched so tight his head began to hurt as tears welled and slowly leaked down his face. He pulled her closer still, biceps burning, but he wasn't about to leave her. Not now, not ever.

She wiggled under his arms and wiped her sleeve across her face. He did the same, keeping his left arm securely around her fragile frame.

"Castle, I need a tissue. This is gross." She muttered, a small smile making its way across her face.

He laughed quietly, reaching behind him for the box that rested on the end table.

"God, we're such a mess." She said, face half-buried in Kleenex.

"Such a mess." He chuckled, kissing her forehead softly. "Such a mess."

"I can't believe you broke out of prison. You know you're not Harrison Ford, right?"

"Of course not. That'd make you Tommy Lee Jones. And that's just…not right."

She smiled, allowing herself to sink a little lower into his shoulder.

"The boys know."

"Hmm?"

"About us. Ryan told Esposito. Lanie knows too."

"Good. I'm tired of hiding every little feeling from them."

"Yeah," She said, stifling an embarrassed smile. "You hungry?"

"I could eat." He said, rolling his eyes and smiling playfully.

"Shut up." She said, giving him a gentle swat as she rose to her feet. She didn't make it more than a step before he tugged her back, enveloping her with a kiss so soft and tender it made her knees buckle. "Come on. Breakfast doesn't make itself."

They ate in silence, quiet and simple. _Natural. That's what it feels like_, she thought. _Natural_. She looked at him from across the table, fork resting on her lip as it curled upward into a smile. _Katherine Beckett, when did you get so soft_? She thought. It was the truth. She was not only soft, but mushy, sentimental, borderline nauseatingly enamored with the man who sat just a few feet from her. She caught herself swimming in the blue of his eyes, tracing imaginary lines through his hair. It always smelled so good. He always smelled so good. A subtle mix of cologne, linen and charm, if that could even muster a scent, that could only belong to Castle.

"Like what you see?" His deep growl interrupted her daydream?

"Huh?" she said, nearly dropping the fork she had been holding. "I… what?"

"Knew it. You're so cute when you're flustered."

"Watch it, pretty boy."

"Handsome."

"Sure." She rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Hmm." He lifted the mug of coffee to his lips, glancing over the lip of the mug to see her smiling. It still wasn't registering in his mind that Kate Beckett, _the_ Kate Beckett, was giggling with him over pancakes. Even after everything that had happened in the last two days. He'd been arrested, spent the night in holding, been confronted by one of the most notorious serial killers New York had ever seen, escaped from prison, and shot a man repeatedly and was alive to crack bad jokes with the woman he loved. _Loved_. He loved everything about her. And after this…ordeal… he knew that in some way he'd spend the rest of his life showing her how just how much she meant to him.

"Castle?" She said, breaking him from his trance.

"Yeah?"

"Please don't do this again." She said softly.

"I promise."

"Good. I just - " She looked up at him, meeting his eyes, feeling that comfort. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

He stood up, rounded the table and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, "I'm not going anywhere."

She turned to face him, cupping his face in her hands. Her forehead rested against his. "I love you. So much." Her lips met his, her body filling with warmth. "So much, Castle."

"I know" He replied curtly. He tightened the embrace, pulling her to him. He could feel her pulse as their lips met once again. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling herself upwards closer to him.

She really did love him. So much.


End file.
